Louis C.K. Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Five Women

Hours after the premiere of his new film, I Love You, Daddy,was suddenly canceled,
The New York Times published a report detailing accusations from five different women against Louis C.K. All of them—four of whom were named, one of whom spoke anonymously—claim that the celebrated comedian either masturbated in front of them, masturbated during a phone call with them, or asked them to watch him masturbate.

Two of the women, comedy duo Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov, claimed that C.K. asked them to come to his hotel room after their performance at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, in 2002. They thought it was a celebratory event, so they went. Shortly after they arrived at his room, C.K. allegedly asked if he could take out his penis. The duo told the Times they thought he was joking, but then “he really did it,” Goodman said. “He proceeded to take all of his clothes off, and get completely naked, and started masturbating.”

Goodman and Wolov began “screaming and laughing in shock,” according to the Times, watching as C.K. masturbated and ejaculated onto his stomach. As they were leaving, C.K. called after them. “He was like, ‘Which one is Dana and which one is Julia?’” Goodman said. The duo ultimately decided against going to the police, but decided to tell others what had happened the very next day. However, they immediately started to face backlash: “Guys were backing away from us,” Wolov said. Word also got to C.K.’s manager Dave Becky, who reportedly wanted them to stop spreading the alleged story. One of the women’s then-managers, Lee Kernis, told the Times that he had a conversation with Becky, who was upset that the women were telling the story about C.K. When reached by the Times, Becky declined threatening Goodman and Wolov. “I don’t recall the exact specifics of the conversation, but know I never threatened anyone,” he said.

Goodman and Wolov are not the only women to accuse C.K. on the record. Artist and performer Abby Schachner told the Times that C.K. once allegedly masturbated on the phone while they were having a conversation in 2003. When they were chatting, C.K. allegedly began telling her his sexual fantasies, breathing heavily. It was “unprofessional and inappropriate,” she said. Schachner said that C.K. continued for a few minutes, though she “definitely wasn’t encouraging” his alleged behavior.

Schachner said that C.K. sent her a Facebook message apologizing for the incident in 2009, one she shared with the Times. “Last time I talked to you ended in a sordid fashion,” he reportedly wrote. “That was a bad time in my life and I’m sorry.” C.K. also apparently complimented Schachner on her comedy. Schachner accepted his apology, but tells the Times that the alleged interaction pushed her away from the comedy scene.

Comedian Rebecca Corry claims that C.K. propositioned her while they were both working on an unnamed TV pilot in 2005. “He asked if we could go to my dressing room so he could masturbate in front of me,” she told the Times in a written statement. When she declined, and pointed out that he had a daughter and a pregnant wife, his face turned red. “He told me he had issues.”

Courteney Cox and David Arquette, who served as executive producers for the pilot, confirmed the incident to the Times. Cox said it was “awful,“ adding that she wanted to “create an environment where Rebecca felt safe, protected, and heard.” Corry ultimately decided to stick with the show; “Things were going well for me, and I had no interest in being the person who shut down a production,” she said in her statement.

In 2015, C.K. allegedly emailed her to apologize for his behavior, though Corry says he misremembered the incident. He apologized for “shoving her in a bathroom,” per the Times. Corry said she corrected C.K. “I used to misread people back then,” she recalled him saying. She remembered taking umbrage with the way C.K. allegedly phrased his apology, as though she had “done something to invite his behavior,” the Times notes.

Another woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that C.K. allegedly masturbated in front of her in his office when they were working on The Chris Rock Show in the late 1990s. She was in her early twenties at the time, and says she did not try to stop him, though she knew it was wrong. “I think the big piece of why I said yes was because of the culture,” she said. “He abused his power.”

C.K.’s publicist, Lewis Kay, told the Times that the comedian “is not going to answer any questions” about the allegations. Neither he nor C.K. responded to further inquiries.